American  ^oarb  of  Commissioners 
for  J^orriga  P^issions. 


Sunnyskle  in  West  Central  Africa. 

FOR  YOUNG  HOUSEKEEPERS  AND  OTHERS. 


A  FAMILIAR,  PERSONAL  LETTER. 


[printed,  not  published.] 


SUNNYSIDE  IN  WEST  CENTRAL 

Africa. 


Bailunda,  A frica,  A  ugust  2,  1882. 

My  Dear  Friend:  —  You  remember  I 
promised  you  a  letter  giving  the  little 
details  of  our  every-day  life.  At  last  I 
can  carry  out  that  promise,  and  will  try  to 
get  before  you  as  correct  a  picture  of  our 
surroundings  and  our  work  as  possible,  and 
I  take  great  pleasure  in  doing  so.  How 
much  nicer  it  would  be  if  you  could  only  see 
for  yourself.  I  am  sure  it  would  do  your 
heart  good.  We  often  say  one  to  another. 
If  only  our  dear  American  friends  could  see 
how  pleasantly  we  are  situated,  and  how 
well  we  are  !  Surely  “goodness  and  mercy 
have  followed  me.”  And  this  morning, 
when  we  were  singing  our  morning  hymn, 
the  following  words  seemed  so  full  of 
meaning  to  me : 


3 


“  since  from  His  bounty  I  receive 
Such  proofs  of  love  divine, 

Had  I  a  thousand  hearts  to  give, 

Lord!  they  should  all  be  thine.” 

And,  oh,  I  do  praise  God  more  and  more 
each  day,  that  I  could  give  my  life  to  His 
service ;  had  I  many  lives  they  should  all 
be  given  to  this  blessed  work. 

Now,  as  the  children  say,  “let  us  play  you 
came  to  spend  the  day  with  us.”  As  you 
near  our  “imbo”  [village]  one  of  the  first 
things  which  will  attract  your  notice  will  be 
the  stars  and  stripes  flying  high  in  the  air. 
At  first  you  will  hardly  discover  the  cot¬ 
tages,  because  of  the  high  fence  of  rude 
poles;  but,  once  inside  the  enclosure,  three 
long,  low,  grass-covered  dwellings  meet  your 
eyes,  and  for  a  moment  you  may  pity  the 
poor  creatures  who  are  obliged  to  live  in 
such  uncomfortable  homes.  But  do  not  be 
too  hasty,  please ;  these  are  not  “  whited 
sepulchers,”  but  are  much  nicer  within  than 
without.  You  will  find  our  front  door  at  the 
back  of  the  house ;  however,  that  does  not 
signify.  Now  please  be  seated  in  our  arm¬ 
chair,  and  while  I  am  busy  preparing  dinner, 
you  may  look  about  the  room.  Oh  !  I  beg 
pardon  —  I  mean  roof/is.  In  the  northeast 
corner  stands  a  table  composed  of  two  boxes 


4 


on  end,  with  the  extra  leaves  of  our  exten¬ 
sion-table  for  the  top;  the  boxes  are  con¬ 
cealed  by  a  white  curtain,  the  top  is  covered 
with  a  handsome  red  and  white  spread;  here 
are  our  Bibles,  albums,  choice  books,  the 
faces  of  several  dear  friends  in  pretty 
frames,  a  card-receiver  of  Japanese  work 
filled  with  pretty  shells,  a  vase  of  sweet 
flowers,  and  other  things  too  numerous  to 
mention.  Above  the  table,  on  the  east  side, 
are  two  swinging  shelves,  containing  Mr. 
Stover’s  books,  bright  cards,  etc.  You 
would  hardly  guess  how  rude  the  boards 
are  which  the  pretty  lambrequins  hide  from 
sight.  On  the  north  end,  near  the  window, 
hangs  the  clock,  beneath  which  is  our  “  Silent 
Comforter,”  whose  cheering  texts  for  every¬ 
day  are  an  inspiration  and  help  in  our  work. 
My  dear  old  father  looks  down  upon  us 
from  his  place  on  the  east  side  of  the  wall ; 
mother’s  place  is  in  the  bed-room,  but,  as 
there  is  no  “visible  partition,”  they  are  not 
separated.  Between  these  is  a  beautiful 
bracket  of  Japanese  work,  with  ornaments 
and  pictures,  while  above  hangs  a  motto, 

“  Rejoice  in  the  Lord,”  the  work  of  a  dear 
friend  whose  brush  has  painted  many  a  gem 
to  cheer  those  who  labor  in  distant  lands. 


5 


In  the  southeast  corner  you  will  see  our 
bed,  dressed  in  white;  between  it  and  the 
table  is  as  pretty  a  center-table  as  one  cares 
to  see.  The  table  itself  is  the  work  of  my 
husband,  while  I  covered  it  with  cretonne  of 
rich  pattern.  On  each  side  is  a  pocket,  and 
the  whole  is  drawn  together  in  the  center 
with  cord  and  tassels  of  crimson  silk,  which 
had  long  been  kept  for  some  use,  I  knew  not 
what.  Mr.  S.  thinks  it  pays  much  better  to 
make  such  things  than  to  send  to  America 
for  them,  and  Mr.  W.  thought  he  would 
send  in  an  order  for  us  to  make  one  for 
him. 

Now,  in  the  bed-room  you  will  find  a  very 
convenient  toilet  arrangement,  also  made  of 
two  of  our  boxes  and  curtained  with  cre¬ 
tonne.  Behind  this  is  my  oil-cloth  splasher, 
with  its  various  pockets.  The  glass,  a  bright 
chromo,  and  Mr.  S.’s  watch-pocket  very 
nearly  conceal  the  wall.  At  the  head  of  the 
bed  is  a  picture  of  class  ’78  O.  C. ;  beneath, 
another  bracket,  etc.  In  this  corner  is  a 
home-made  bracket,  Mr.  S.’s  work,  covered 
with  a  bright  lambrequin.  Above  is  the 
motto,  “Home,  Sweet  Home.” 

On  the  west  side  of  the  house  is  the  door, 
on  the  south  side  our  cupboard,  also  made  by 


6 


my  husband’s  skillful  fingers,  out  of  more 
boxes,  and  various  pieces  of  board,  curtained 
with  blue  zuarte.  Our  tin  boxes  are  dis¬ 
posed  of  in  various  places,  and  are  very  con¬ 
venient.  The  stove  has  its  place  on  the 
north  side  of  the  room.  On  one  side  of 
this  is  still  another  cupboard,  also  curtained 
with  blue.  This  is  for  pots,  kettles,  etc. 
Miss  M.’s  little  room  is  the  northwest 
corner,  curtained  off  with  two  quilts  and  a 
blanket.  This  partition  makes  an  admirable 
place  to  hang  our  clothes  ;  our  mackintoshes 
and  a  sheet  cover  them  and  keep  out  all 
dust  and  smoke.  The  table  has  its  place  in 
the  center  of  the  room.  The  floor  is  cov¬ 
ered  with  two  or  three  thicknesses  of  mats 
of  native  manufacture,  and  really  very  nice ; 
so,  with  the  rugs  we  bought  in  Boston,  our 
floors  are  very  comfortable.  Miss  M.’s 
room  is  a  perfect  little  gem. 

Now,  as  you  have  had  ample  time  to  look 
about,  let  us  refresh  the  inner  man  with  an 
African  dinner.  Yesterday  the  brethren 
killed  a  beef ;  today  we  will  have  some 
soup  for  the  first  course ;  some  pearled 
barley  and  a  little  celery  salt  (a  gift  from 
a  friend)  make  it  very  nice.  We  have  both 
corn  and  white  bread,  mashed  potatoes  (very 


7 


small  indeed,  but  quite  nice),  and  squash  pie. 
For  supper  I  will  give  you  some  tea,  if  you 
wish  —  we  always  treat  our  company,  but 
when  alone  prefer  pure  cold  water,  with 
which  we  are  greatly  blessed  —  the  same 
kinds  of  bread  we  had  for  dinner,  cold  meat, 
dried-apple-sauce,  and  gingerbread.  I  hope 
you  will  not  think  us  extravagant  when  I  tell 
you  the  gingerbread  and  pie-crust  are  made 
of  two  thirds  corn-flour.  We  often  wish 
our  friends  at  home  could  have  some  of  our 
delicious  corn-meal  and  flour.  The  mill  we 
brought  from  Lisbon  works  to  a  charm,  and 
is  worth  everything.  The  flour  is  as  fine  as 
the  finest  wheat,  and  very  sweet  and  nice. 
The  sweet  potatoes  are  very  nice ;  squash  is 
good  when  one  does  not  have  too  much  ; 
beans  are  of  a  very  poor  quality.  Thus  far 
we  have  had  plenty  of  eggs.  When  we  get 
our  gardens  we  hope  to  make  most  of  our 
living  from  them.  We  realize  the  necessity 
of  good  wholesome  food  for  health’s  sake. 

Well,  dinner  is  over,  the  work  done,  and 
we  will  now  have  a  little  chat  about  our 
friends.  I  can  entertain  you  today,  but  yes¬ 
terday  afternoon  was  busy  preparing  my 
beef  for  corning  and  drying;  and  very 
thankful  am  I  that  I  learned  how  to  do  such 


8 


things.  I  realize  more  than  ever  the  impor¬ 
tance  of  girls  learning  how  to  do  everything 
that  pertains  to  housekeeping.  Miss  M. 
and  I  do  not  regret  the  discipline  we  have 
had.  We  feel  that  we  have  great  cause  for 
rejoicing  today.  Brothers  Fay  and  Sanders 
returned  last  evening  from  the  king’s  camp. 
The  Lord  went  with  them  and  prospered 
them  in  all  their  dealings  with  the  king, 
even  more  than  we  dared  hope  for.  Mr. 
Stover  and  Mr.  Sanders  are  out  now  mak¬ 
ing  arrangements  for  our  new  house.  We 
shall  have  three  rooms ;  two  bed-rooms, 
with  a  fire-place  in  each,  both  for  health 
and  comfort.  Brother  Miller  is  busy  with 
his  school  again,  and  has  a  little  room  nicely 
fitted  up  for  the  purpose.  We  like  Mr. 
Miller  very  muc*li.  He  seems  energetic  and 
full  of  the  spirit  of  Christ.  Brother  Fay 
lives  with  him.  They  get  along  nicely 
together.  Brother  F.  keeps  well  and  in  the 
best  of  spirits.  ...  I  do  wish  you  could  see 
little  Freddie  Walter;  he  is  such  a  sweet 
baby,  and  a  great  comfort  to  all.  ...  In¬ 
deed,  dear  friend,  it  would  be  hard  to  tell 
you  of  all  our  blessings  and  causes  for 
thankfulness. 

Now  let  me  speak  of  our  manner  of  life. 


9 


We  consider  regular  hours  for  sleep  and 
diet  essential;  also  plenty  of  fresh  air  and 
exercise.  We  arise  about  six.  Mr.  Stover 
spends  the  forenoon  studying;  he  enjoys 
the  language  exceedingly.  Miss  M.  and  I 
find  the  same  duties  to  perform  that  we  ever 
did.  After  dinner  we  take  a  short  rest,  and 
when  it  gets  cooler  we  take  a  walk,  which 
we  always  enjoy.  Half  past  nine  rarely 
finds  us  out  of  bed.  And  I  have  been 
amazed  at  the  way  some  of  us  are  able  to 
sleep.  This  is  one  of  the  blessings,  and  not 
a  small  one  by  any  means.  One  day  Mrs. 
Walter  and  the  baby  went  with  us  for  a 
walk,  and  we  found  the  most  beautiful  place 
down  by  the  brook,  where  the  rocks  are  in 
terraces,  with  water  clear  as  crystal  flowing 
over  them.  Mr.  S.  carried  the  baby,  while 
Mrs.  W.  and  I  scrambled  over  the  rocks  like 
a  couple  of  school  girls,  gathering  moss  and 
the  most  beautiful  ground-pine.  Oh,  the 
flowers !  how  shall  I  describe  them  !  Of  one 
I  must  speak,  because  of  its  close  resem¬ 
blance,  both  in  appearance  and  odor,  to  the 
trailing  arbutus.  When  the  grass  is  burnt 
off,  this  beautiful  flower  springs  up  in  great 
profusion,  and  we  love  it  because  of  its  be¬ 
ing  so  nearly  like  our  emblematic  flower. 


10 


Do  you  wish  to  know  what  we  think  of 
the  people  ?  Oh,  I  wish  I  could  tell  you  all 
there  is  in  my  heart.  Can  you  believe  me 
when  I  tell  you  that  already  I  have  learned 
to  love  them  ?  There  is  no  feeling  of  repug¬ 
nance,  which  I  so  much  feared.  My  heart 
goes  out  to  them  and  my  eyes  often  overflow 
as  I  look  at  them  in  their  degradation.  God 
hasten  the  day  when  we  can  tell  them  the 
story  of  redeeming  love.  Sometimes  I  have 
a  group  of  girls  about  me,  looking  at  pictures 
or  something  else,  and  it  seems  so  hard  that 
I  cannot  talk  with  them,  and  lift  them  out  of 
their  degradation  and  ignorance.  We  need 
much  patience  and  much  grace,  that  we  may 
be  “wise  as  serpents  and  harmless  as 
doves  ”  in  dealing  with  these  people.  The 
boys  are  especially  winning,  with  their  bright 
faces  and  musical  voices.  Indeed,  Mr. 
Stover  thinks  it  the  most  musical  language 
he  ever  studied.  The  women  are  more 
repulsive,  because  of  the  way  they  dress 
their  hair,  anointing  it  with  yellow  palm-oil, 
which  is  very  disagreeable.  I  am  sure  you 
would  be  amused  could  you  see  them  as 
they  watch  me  comb  my  hair ;  both  the 
length  and  color  seem  to  amaze  them; 
they  make  ,a  great  many  gestures,  and  ex- 


II 


claim  “  Chiwa,  chiwa”  [good,  beautiful], 
“  ondona  chiwa.”  I  have  entertained  them 
for  an  hour  at  a  time  by  giving  them 
pictures  to  look  at.  Sometimes  they  are 
amused,  sometimes  seem  frightened.  There 
will  be  great  rejoicing  among  us  when  we  can 
explain  things  to  them  and  tell  them  why  we 
came  here. 

I  think  you  can  hardly  imagine  how  much  we 
enjoy  our  Sabbath 'services,  also  the  Thurs¬ 
day  evening  meeting;  these  hours  are  very 
precious  to  us.  We  have  decided  to  spend 
an  hour  every  evening  after  tea  in  reading 
aloud.  And  Miss  Mawhir  and  I  have  been 
agitating  the  question  of  forming  a  reading- 
circle,  all  meeting  in  our  room  one  evening 
in  the  week  for  select  reading,  if  the  rest  of 
the  mission  are  in  favor  of  it.  It  has  not 
yet  been  laid  before  them. 

Dear  friends,  can  you  for  a  moment  think 
of  us  as  lonely  or  cast  down?  You  cannot 
imagine  how  much  we  enjoy  our  work ;  but 
you  do  know  the  blessedness  of  living  each 
day  for  Christ,  and  you  know  the  joy  of  a 
Christian  life.  I  said  in  one  of  my  letters 
that  I  thought  if  some  of  our  friends  at  home 
who  pity  us  and  think  we  have  thrown  our 
lives  away,  could  only  look  in  upon  us  and  see 


12 


how  comfortable  we  are,  how  much  we  enjoy 
each  day,  their  pity  would  turn  to  envy. 

I  do  not  know  why  we  should  not  keep 
well,  even  when  the  rains  come.  Leaving 
the  coast  without  the  slightest  indication  of 
fever,  coming  in  the  season  we  did,  and  get¬ 
ting  so  acclimated  before  the  wet  season,  we 
hope  to  keep  well  and  able  to  work  all  the  year. 
Mr.  Stover  has  had  two  jiggers  only,  while 
Miss  M.  and  I  have  escaped  entirely  thus  far. 

As  for  being  lonely  or  home-sick,  the 
thought  has  never  entered  our  minds.  We 
love  our  friends  as  dearly  as  ever,  but  we  do 
not  feel  that  we  are  buried  or  are  out  of  the 
world.  We  rejoice  in  our  work,  in  each 
other,  and  most  of  all  in  our  blessed  Lord, 
who  has  counted  us  worthy  to  labor  with 
Him  in  the  saving  of  these  souls. 

Please,  dear  friends,  pray  that  we  may  be 
faithful  in  the  least  thing.  We  realize  that 
we  are  not  our  own;  we  are  not  only  “bought 
with  a  price,”  but  we  feel  we  owe  much  to 
the  American  Board,  and  it  behooves  us  to 
take  good  care  of  our  bodies.  .  .  . 

Sincerely  yours  in  Christ, 

Bertha  D.  Stover. 


Sent  from  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.  Rooms, 
Boston,  Dec.  6, 1882.  E.  K.  A. 


